6 minute read
CBAS outstanding trio
So many impressive students, so few pages!
We could fill this magazine with profiles of CBAS students doing inspiring work that promises to change the world. Here, then, are but three of many who stand out as up-and-coming professionals in their fields.
We could fill this magazine with profiles of CBAS students doing inspiring work that promises to change the world. Here, then, are but three of many who stand out as up-and-coming professionals in their fields.
Leader among STEM
MTSU Ph.D. student Nicole Gammons stimulates her mind with data-driven research as part of the Molecular Biosciences doctoral program.
Gammons’ research activity is in the alternative fuels arena. The demand for fuel in the U.S. is high, with over 100 billion gallons of gasoline used each year to power domestic vehicles. To address this need, federal mandates have been implemented to increase the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass, such as trees and grasses, as an alternative to petroleum. Gammons’ research study aims to overcome obstacles to production.
It’s heady stuff, to say the least. But so, too, is Gammons’ other passion—collaborating with, coordinating, and mentoring young women in science, technology, engineering, and math.
“By providing resources and opportunities to pursue STEM education for young women, I am building a strong foundation for networking with undergraduate and graduate students and STEM professionals and hopefully helping to usher in the next generation of females in STEM careers,” Gammons said.
She’s being noticed for her efforts. The Division of Professional Relations (PROF) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) recently recognized Gammons’ influential outreach work with the Leadership Development Award.
The ACS is one of the largest scientific communities in the world, with over 151,000 members across 140 countries. The PROF Division selects one leadership development winner a year from its large pool of member applicants. Winners demonstrate multiple leadership and volunteer experiences through activities, society or organization memberships, mentoring, academic achievements and awards, publications, presentations, and more.
Gammons, a member of both the ACS and PROF, decided to apply for the award after Judith Iriarte-Gross, director of MTSU’s Women in STEM (WISTEM) Center where Gammons volunteers, suggested it.
“I have dedicated numerous hours to developing my leadership skills, so it is a rewarding feeling to have acknowledgment that my dedication to developing leadership skills has not gone unnoticed,” Gammons said.
One of Gammons’ leadership contributions was helping organize MTSU’s annual Tennessee Girls in STEM Conference to introduce middle and high school girls to science and mathematics careers, which, Gammons said, is so important because even though women make up the majority of students in STEM classes, they are not choosing STEM careers—especially in Tennessee.
—Stephanie Wagner and Drew Ruble
Taking It to the Digital Limit
Dilafruz Shamsieva holds a master’s degree in Information Systems from MTSU and is pursuing a master’s degree in Computer Science at MTSU as well.
She is also the founder of Logical Limit App, a startup focused on limiting children’s online time and redirecting their attention to age-appropriate educational activities.
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that children today are spending an average of seven hours a day on entertainment media, including televisions, computers, phones, and other electronic devices.
The Academy discourages media use by children younger than 2 and recommends limiting older children’s screen time to no more than one or two hours a day.
Shamsieva’s app clearly addresses a pressing issue in today’s society.
“Our goal is to fill the gap in education that occurs due to the significant impact of the electronic devices on the lives of children in everyday life,” she said, adding that the Logical Limit App “helps parents keep their children safe online” by blocking certain ads and notifying parents when data is captured and sent to other applications.
“We also capture metrics to provide a granular overview to parents in the best interest of their children and notify the parent or guardian if the child uses harmful or violent words while typing on the keyboard,” she said.
With her academic background, Shamsieva has a deep understanding of the importance of technology in our lives. As a parent herself, she also knows the need to protect children from online threats.
“I understand the challenges of balancing technology use with the well-being of our children,” she said. “With Logical Limit, you can rest easy knowing that your children are safe and engaged in productive activities.”
A passionate entrepreneur and software developer (and not a bad salesperson, either!), Shamsieva strives to make the digital world a safer place for children, and to give parents the peace of mind they need to let their children explore it.
—Drew Ruble
Microbes, Polypores, and Beyond
Biology/Psychology double-major Yaseen Ginnab keeps himself active by hiking local trails and rock-climbing. As someone who aspires to pursue a career in forest ecology, it makes sense that he would feel most comfortable surrounded by the nature he studies.
The recent graduate’s first research venture as an MTSU student was an internship he received with the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates in summer 2021. He traveled to Central Michigan University’s biological station on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan and researched a pipeline beneath Lake Michigan that could burst in the future.
Although most of the oil could be removed, residual amounts would be left to the native bacteria to degrade. Ginnab found that every water sample’s bacterial community adapted to the presence of crude oil to degrade hydrocarbons within seven days of exposure. That’s good news for Lake Michigan.
Ginnab has since participated in numerous other research projects while at MTSU. His latest venture, though, is his crowning achievement to date. In 2022, Ginnab received a prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship to pursue research.
He used it to travel to Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where, assisting with a Canadian Fulbright project as part of the Mitacs Globalink Internship program, he performed research involving polypores, a type of shelf or bracket fungi, that can parasitize living trees or decompose dead trees. The Goldwater Scholarship is among the highest awards undergraduates majoring in science can receive. This is a national-level award, not an MTSU scholarship.
Also in 2022, Ginnab was selected as the only national scholar for the Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program, which provides a one-year fellowship with a Land Trust after graduation, a housing allowance, a $50,000 salary, and more opportunities to make connections.
Ginnab is contemplating a future in academia—for the research, of course—and intends to pursue a master’s and a Ph.D., conducting even more research that focuses on forest ecology and conservation. After his Land Trust fellowship, he plans to pursue a master’s in Biology focused on Ecology and Evolution at the University of Colorado–Colorado Springs.
Wherever he ends up in the future, there is one thing for certain—he’ll be outdoors researching his preferred environment.
—Rachel Booher and Drew Ruble
